World War II

Introduction In the United States, the horrors of World War I were a distant memory. However, in Germany the memory of war grew into anger and bitterness (due to the Treat of Versailles). Many Germans wanted revenge. Japan had plans of world domination as well… soon the entire world will once again be at war.

Causes of World War II World War I left many countries in political (government) and economic (financial, $$$) devastation. Worldwide Depression – just as the United States was going through a depression, so were many other countries of the world, Germany was hit perhaps the hardest; there was rampant homelessness, food shortages and their money was almost worthless. German ruins from WWI

Causes of World War II High War Debt Owed by Germany – For example: America loaned Germany money to repay some of its war debts (the war reparations from the Treaty of Versailles), but when the Stock Market crashed in 1929, America called in their loans and Germany could not repay the other countries – to retaliate, France seized part of Germany where most of the factories were located – unemployment and hopelessness grew. Poor Berlin Family

Causes of World War II High Inflation – Germany was ordered to pay the war reparation but had no money of their own, so they simply began printing more money. At first the solution appeared to work, but after a few years inflation occurred (the value of the money went down and the prices of goods went up). For example, a loaf of bread in Germany in October 1922 = 163 marks, one year later in October of 1923 = 201,000,000,000 marks!

Causes of World War II Massive Unemployment – In Germany, there were hungry people, no jobs, high inflation, worthless money... the people were desperate. Desperate people will listen to anyone that promises to end their suffering.

Video Did WWI lead to WWII?

Brain Break Just Dance

The Rise of Fascism

The Rise of Fascism With so many people without jobs, hungry and many homeless paired with political instability of many of the European countries, fascist dictators were able to take advantage and grab power. Fascism is a political philosophy in which total power is given to a dictator and individual freedoms are denied ~ nationalism and often, racism are emphasized under fascist rule.

Fascist Leaders:

Adolph Hitler: Germany Hitler gained political power and a large following through the 1920s. He was a charismatic speaker who plotted to take over the government and built a secret police force (the Gestapo). He created his own political party – the National Socialist German Workers Party – Nazis for short. He was elected chancellor (like president) of Germany. When elected, he declared a “state of emergency” and took away rights of citizens ~ those who disagreed were imprisoned or killed. Hitler wanted an all-powerful German Empire. Hitler believed that those of pure German descent (especially those with blonde hair and blue eyes) were superior to others in the world. This was called Aryan Supremacy. Hitler's Rise to Power

Benito Mussolini: Italy Mussolini used political unrest in Italy to grab power in the 1920s. He hated democracy ~ he thought it “divided” the nation. Mussolini did not allow anyone to criticize the government and controlled the army and the schools. Mussolini Speech

HiDekI Tojo: Japan Tojo was the Prime Minister of Japan. At this time there was still an emperor in Japan (Emperor Hirohito). Tojo led the military and supported fascist ideals. Japan’s goal at this time was to invade Manchuria and beyond in pursuit of new land and natural resources. Tojo

Rise of Fascism Cont. In the early 1930s Germany, Italy and Japan were taking over new territories (ex. Germany – Rhineland, Japan – Manchuria, Italy – Ethiopia). Hitler and Mussolini formed an alliance know as the Rome-Berlin Axis, later Japan joined and they were known as the Axis Powers.

Axis Powers Germany led by Adolph Hitler Italy led by Benito Mussolini Japan led by Hideki Tojo

Axis Powers The Axis Powers continued to take over new territories. In 1938, Hitler took over Austria and the Sudetenland (a part of Czechoslovakia). Czechoslovakia did not want to give this land up, so France and Great Britain protested. Hitler swore there would be no more aggression. Germany signed the Munich Agreement and pledged to stop seeking new territories. Hitler also signed a non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union (led by Joseph Stalin), where the two countries promised each other that their plans to gain power would not interfere with each other. Munich Agreement

World War II Begins…

World War II Begins… In 1939, Hitler broke his promise and invaded Poland. This invasion is said to be the official beginning of World War II. The world’s democracies were horrified by Hitler’s aggression. Great Britain and France demanded he withdraw from Poland. Hitler refused. Great Britain, Canada (a British Commonwealth) and France declared war! France was invaded by Germany and taken over by Hitler in 1940 (France became Nazi Occupied). At first, the Soviet Union – also known as the U.S.S.R. – sided with Hitler (Soviet soldiers helped the Germans invaded Poland), but when Hitler broke the non- aggression pact that Stalin and Hitler had made by invading the Soviet Union (The Battle of Stalingrad), the Soviet Union switched sides out of rage for Hitler and joined the Allies.

The Allies or Allied Powers: Great Britain led by Winston Churchill Canada Soviet Union led by Joseph Stalin United States (1941) led by Franklin Roosevelt & Harry Truman

What about America?

What About America? At the time when World War II began in Europe (1939), the United States was still in the Great Depression. We took a stance of isolationism (meaning we wanted to “isolate” ourselves and not get involved in other countries’ issues). As time went on, there was a gradual change in American policy from neutrality to direct involvement: The U.S. began as isolationists. The U.S. provided economic aid to the Allies through the Lend Lease Act (The U.S. provided Great Britain with ammunition and old warships in exchange for military bases in Bermuda and the Caribbean). Direct involvement in the war came after the United States was attacked by Japan at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. *

A True World War A vast area of heavy fighting took place across Europe, parts of Africa and Asia. We will discuss the war in two different areas (often called “theaters”). The European Theatre: Allied forces including the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union fought the Axis powers across Europe in the Eastern Front, the Western Front and the Mediterranean. The Pacific Theatre (The War in the Pacific): Tensions were rising between the United States and Japan due to Japanese aggression in East Asia ~ Japan had invaded Indochina (present day – Vietnam and Cambodia). The U.S. was protesting this invasion by cutting trade with Japan. This cut Japan off from the on thing it needed – oil! The only way for them to get oil was to seize the Dutch East Indies (present day Indonesia), but the U.S. navy stood in their way:

Pearl Harbor *On December 7th, 1941, Japan attacked the United States without warning at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The United States declared war on Japan and in response Germany declared war on the United States. The United States officially joined the Allies and was now in World War II. This began the fighting against Japanese forces that took place in the Far East and across many islands in the Pacific Ocean (“island hopping”).

Video America Enters WWII